Picking-block.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PlCKlNG-BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed April 5, 1906- Serial No. 310.097.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MICHAEL Joni: MUR- RAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dubu ue, in the county of Dubuque and State of owa, have invented a new and useful Picking-Block, of which the following is a s ecification.

his invention relates to improvements in picking-blocks for chickens, turkeys, and other domestic fowls; and its object is to produce a friable and easily-disintegrated lock com osed of ingredients having food and other beneficial values for fowls, which block will hold its shape as a block, but may be readily peeked to pieces and devoured by the fowls.

The block consists, essentially, of the following-named ingredients, com ounded substantially in the manner whic I will now proceed to describe.

I take one-half gallon, by measure, of unslaked lime, one pint of salt, and one-half pint of Venetian red and digest the same in suflici'ent water to make three gallons. To this is added a sufiicient quantity of a mixture com osed of equal parts of fine gravel, sand, sheIled corn, and finely-divided grain to roduce a pasty mass thick enough to be moIded. This mass when molded into blocks is allowed to air-dry-until hard enough f owls will be readily attacked and devoured by the latter.

The block is particularly adapted for a poultry-food by reason of the fact that the owls 1n attem ting to get the food will at the same time dbvour the adherent lime and sand.

The quantities of the ingredients given may be varied; but the resultant block 5 should be hard enough to retain its sha e under the pecking of the fowls, but sho d not be so hard but that the fowls may readily peck it to pieces nor so soft as to disintegrate or fall into a powdery condition before it has been devoured by the fowls.

The ingredients are all beneficial to fowls, and being-in aform which requires the fowls to expend considerable energy in order to get at the food and other materials of the block Willkeep them strong and healthy, while at the same time the laying capacity is increased.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is V A friable or easily-disintegrated pickingblock for poultry consisting of water slaked lime, salt, Venetian red, gravel, sand and grains substantially in the proportions specie In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of'two Witnesses.

MICHAEL JOHN MURRAY.

Witnesses:

HARRY T. WALKER, WILLIAM L. BECKER. 

